A contraction of Ap Hugh (see Pugh); also, a bird; there was an old sign of a pye over an inn in London called Pye Corner.

Arthur, William (1857) An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. New York: Sheldon, Blakeman. Public Domain.

PYE. One of the many surnames derived from Hugh. Ap-Hugh lias, in some parts of Wales, been corrupted to Pye. See anecdote in Eng. Surn. i. 180. It may, however, sometimes be derived from the bird, now called the May-pie, the first syllable of which is a puerile addition, like Tom and Pv,obin, in ' Tom Cat ' and ' Robin Redbreast.' Pye is the true 0. Eng. name of the bird, as found in medieval literature ; e.g. :

Lower, Mark A (1860) Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom. London: J.R. Smith. Public Domain.